The night was pitch black. Wind howled outside like a grieving spirit, and heavy rain lashed against the creaking wooden walls of the cabin. The temperature had dropped sharply, turning the air damp and bone-chilling. Inside the rotting cabin, the walls were damp, the corners reeked of mold, and the stale stench of decay clung to everything like a curse.
A girl in her twenties was lying lifeless. Her whole body was covered in serious injuries. She has several burn marks on her body. Her long, pink hair was matted with dirt and grime, the strands tangled and dull. The rags she wore were barely enough to Be called clothing, hanging loosely off her bruised frame. Her breathing was shallow, barely audible.
SLAM!!
The door burst open. A woman entered And slammed it shut behind her. Her black hair was braided beautifully, shining under the dim flicker of an old lantern, and her crimson eyes gleamed with venomous light. She scanned the room with disdain, her gaze quickly falling on The broken figure curled up in the corner.
Her lips curled in disgust.
" I hate this day. Thr freaking day you were born. You, usless piece of shit, why are you lying on floor?" She screamed angrily.
The girl trembled under her voice, her frail body curling in on itself instinctively. Slowly, painfully, she lifted her head and looked up at the woman, her mother. But she had locked the girl from her birth in this old cabin.
Without hesitation, she yanked her up and shoved her back down, the motion jerking her neck violently. The girl fell without resistance, her limbs too weak to catch herself.
"You make me feel so disgusted. How can you be so useless? Huh??"
The girl didn't cry. She didn't scream. She had learned that silence was her only shield. To make no sound. To endure. To Wait for it to end so that she could drift into unconsciousness again.
A man stepped into the room, watching the scene unfold with an unreadable expression. His eyes flicked to the girl and then to the furious woman beside her.
"Hestia, what are you doing here?" he asked.
But she didn't answer. Instead, she yanked the girl's hair again, forcing her to stand. Her legs trembled beneath her. Her knees gave out. She had been starving for days. There was no strength left in her frail body.
Hestia seized the girl's chin in a bruising grip and screamed, "Arghhh… I HATE YOU!!"
The words struck like knives.
Without warning, Roland slapped the girl across her face.
Her body collapsed again, her cheek burning from the impact. Her head spun. The room blurred around her. Her wounds reopened. The pain was unbearable. When will this end? she thought bitterly.
Hestia turned to Roland, her tone suddenly honeyed. "Roland, dear, I'm tired of her. I don't even enjoy it anymore. I think it's time to end it."
Roland gave a slight nod and walked toward the girl. Without warning, he drove his foot into her stomach.
"Wench! You ruined everything. How can you be so f*cking weak?"
The girl let out a broken cough, blood spilling from her lips. She clutched her stomach, gasping. Before she could recover, another violent kick landed against her ribs.
Crack.
A sharp pain shot through her body as a rib snapped. Her breath came in choked, uneven gasps. Every movement was agony. Her lips trembled, but she said nothing. She just wanted it all to end.
But, hestia had no plans on stopping here. She took out a whip and started hitting the girl harshly.
"Why did you run out of the holy powers? Why? How is it possible?? Huh??" Hestia seethed venomously.
"You committed a sin b*tch!!" Rolan snarled.
"You're the Divine Saintess!" Hestia roared. "You're a mortal blessed by the gods. And now your power is gone? You must've committed some wretched sin! Why else would you dry up like this?!"
The girl hissed in pain. Roland grabbed her cheeks and slapped her again. She convulsed in pain and fell to floor. Her eyes were getting heavy as her body was aching a lot. She was confused what they were talking about? What divine saitess? She didn't understand a thing. She didn't want it anymore.
She has been trapped in this cabin her whole life. Her whole life was like this where her power used to get sucked tortorously and transferred to others. She used to get beaten by her mother, father and maids. She had to starve. But, her powers stopped coming out anymore. And, that triggered her mother. She started tortuting her more.
The girl looked up at Hestia. "Momma, Dad..It hurt. Stop. It hurt."
Hestia hit her with whip again and spat, "Don't you dare call me Momma. You're not even worthy of a name, let alone a mother. Useless pig. Learn to speak first, useless girl. Useless just like your name. That's right, your name is useless."
She laughed.
The girl started crying and begging, "I give power. I.. I give them. I go with you."
Roland's expression twisted in disgust. He turned to Hestia. "This is enough. We don't need this trash anymore. It's time to get rid of her."
Hestia hesitated, whip still in hand. "But what if her holy power returns?"
Roland walked towards her and spoke while handing her knife. "We waited for two years, didn't we? This b*tch has lost her powers. We can't suck her powers anymore. There's nothing left. She must be temporary divine saintess."
Hestia frowned. Temporary? She glared at the girl in disgust. She nodded. "Fine. Let's just kill this useless girl."
She moved towards the girl while looking at the knife. Her expression changed to amusment as she spoke, "I regret giving birth to you. I regretted every single day." She sat down and looked at the girl who was struggling in pain. "I HATE YOU. You know that, right? You don't deserve happiness. You will always be hated. I hate you and that b@stard. He must be still searching for you."
She started laughing, "Ohh!! How lovely it will be to send your corpse to him? To see that look of terror on his face?? How long I've waited to see that. To see his world crushing down." She continued laughing.
The girl was shaking in fear. Her mother looked terrifying—like a monster. Hestia yanked her head up by the hair and hissed, "I enjoyed every moment of your torture. When you trembled in fear, it made me happy. Your screams were music to my ears. But now, it's time to kill you."
She slammed the girl's face into the floor. Then, raising the knife high, she stabbed it into her heart. She continued stabbing her like madwoman.
The girl screamed in agony. Her last thoughts drifted toward her parents. She had always wanted to die, but now that her mother had truly killed her, she wasn't sure how to feel. Should she be relieved? Or should she cry?
Her eyes grew heavy. The world around her grew silent. She started feeling peaceful like she was drifting off to a good sleep. The girl died.
.
.
.
.
There was nothing but darkness.
A soul drifted weightlessly, until a warm embrace wrapped around her. A hooded figure in pale golden robes held her gently.
Behind the figure glowed a halo, etched with divine runes. Her long, yellow-blonde hair floated like threads of light in the void.
She whispered, her voice filled with sorrow.
"My child"
Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked upon the girl's broken body.
"You have suffered a lot. This is not the ending you deserve."
She gently stroked the girl's hair who was unconscious. She spoke further.
"You deserve happiness and comfort from your family. You are strong. I hope your heart will be healed. Go back my child, Live your happily ever after."
Her words shimmered like healing magic. Her divine hands glowed with power. She leaned forward and kissed the girl's forehead. The divine light surrounded them both.
The girl stirred. Her eyes fluttered open briefly, just enough to glimpse the divine figure.
She closed them again.